Metallic tie and rail-fastening.



No. 736,885 PATENTED AUG. 18 1903.

- v. A. SHOWALTER.

'NO MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 1 8, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

VINCENT A. SHOl/VALTER, OF LATROBE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 736,885, dated August 18, 1903. Application filed November 26, 1902. Serial No. 132,887. (No model.)

T 0 all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that LVINCENT A. SHOWALTER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Latrobe, in the county of VVestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic Ties and Rail-Fastenings, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in metallic ties and railfastenings; and the invention has for its main object to provide means whereby the rails may be securely held in position on the ties without the aid of bolts passing through the fish-plates and rails and to securely fasten the fish-plates to a metallic tie.

A further object of my invention is to pro vide means whereby the rails may be adjusted laterally as they become worn toconform to the gage required; further, to construct a metallic tie with means for securing the fishplates thereto and with means to retain the ballast under the tie, so as to insure a more perfect road-bed.

With the above and other objects in view the invention further consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, and then particularly pointed out in the claims, and in describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and wherein like numerals of reference will be employed to indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a part of my improved tie, showing the fastening means in end elevation with the rail in section. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of apart of the tie, showing the fastening in position. Fig. 3 is an underneath plan view of a part of the tie. Fig. 4: is a detail perspective View of one of the fish-plates detached.

To practice my invention, I provide a metallic tiel, which may be cast or molded and made of a desirable length, breadth, and thickness. This tie is constructed with a concave corrugated underneath face 2, which extends the length of the tie, except for the end portions 3, which form walls whereby the ballast after being tamped under the ties will be prevented from falling out or working out at the end thereof. The tie is provided on its upper face each side of the rail-seats 4 with inclined teeth 5, while the fish-plates 6, which embrace the Webs of the rails, have the'underneath face of their base provided with teeth 7, inclined in the reverse direction to the teeth formed in the upper face of the tie, whereby the teeth of the fislrplates and those of the tie inter-mesh or look, as shown in Fig. 1. Pivoted to the ends of each fish-plate 6 are hooks 8, the hook ends of which are adapted to engage in the notches or seats 9 provided therefor in the underneath face of the tie 1 along the edge thereof. These hooks may be sprung into their position or a hole may be made through the fish-plates and a bolt passed therethrough or a lug constructed on each end of the fish-plate for pivoting the securing-hooks thereto, It is desirable that the hooks project slightly below the seats or notches, as they will thereby be engaged directly with the road-bed and the more seen rely held. When it becomes necessary to adjust the rails laterally, the fish-plates may be shifted over one notch or tooth and again tightened, these teeth in practice being made close enough that a slight adjustment may be rnade of the fish-plates. By corrugating the underneath face of the tie and providing the end walls the ballast will be securely retained in under the tie after being tamped therein.

In practice it is desirable to construct the inside plate 6 of less size than the one at the outside of the rails, so that where switchrails are employed they may be brought up close to the mainrails.

While I have described the invention in detail, yet it will be observed that in practice various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the general spirit of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the tie havingits upper face formed with teeth and its lower face formed with notches of fish-plates engaging the teeth of the said tie, and fastening means for the said fish-plates engaging the notches of the said tie.

4 The combination with the tie having its 15 upper face formed with teeth and its lower face notched, of fishplates formed with toothed lower faces engaging the teeth of the said tie, and securing means for the said fishplates pivoted thereto and having hooked lower ends engaging the notches of the tie.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

VINCENT A. SHOWALTER.

Witnesses:

A. M. WILSON, JOHN GRAEBING, Jr. 

